The present invention relates to image processing systems and methods and more particularly to the selection of objects within an image for edit or other processing.
Various kinds of image processing systems employ object selection in image edit or other image processing operations. One such system is a duplicator system in which a stored electronic image can be edited and applied to a platen to produce a hard copy output. Another system is a reprographic system in which a digital image is scanned from a hard copy input and then processed through an image editor to generate an edited hardcopy output from a laser printer or the like. In an image edit system, an image editor processes stored images in accordance with edit operations and stores the edited images electronically for use in other systems.
Object selection is usually done by a selecting mechanism that physically draws a border around the selected object on the display screen. The selection mechanisms include freehand, squares, rectangles, circles, polygons, and other geometric shapes. Some approaches employ the physical drawing method along with intelligent algorithms that analyze the image content of the bounded object.
It is desirable that the productivity of the image editing process be enhanced through increased automation of the object selection procedure. The above-referenced use of algorithms in the prior art represents attempts to achieve increased productivity through computer participation in the object selection.
However, raster images differ in many ways and these differences have made it difficult to achieve quality image editing with increased productivity in object selection. Criteria that work well for selecting an object in one image may not work well in another image. In fact, a criterion that works well in one area of an image may not work well in another area of the same image. Differences in image representations, such as black/white or grayscale or color, present additional difficulties to the automation of object selection. Thus, there is no known way to model an object selection algorithm to work well for all different types and classes of images.
The following prior patents have been identified as having limited relevance to the present invention:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,905,148, "Three-Dimensional Surface Representation Using Connectivity Method Without Leaks", dated Feb. 27, 1990, filed by Carl R. Crawford. PA0 2. U.S. Pat. No 4,958,375, "Parallel, Multi-Unit, Adaptive Pattern Classification System Using Inter-Unit Correlations and An Intra-Unit Class Separator Methodology", dated Sep. 18, 1990, filed by Douglas L. Reilly, et al. PA0 3. U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,616, "Image Processing Apparatus", dated Mar. 26, 1991, filed by Miyohiko Orita, et al. PA0 4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,327, "Parallel Associative Memory Having Improve Selection and Decision Mechanisms for Recognizing and Sorting Relevant Patterns", dated May 7, 1991, filed by Terr, W. Potter, et al.